Stamp-affixing machine.



G. A. H. BULLOCK. STAMP AFFIXING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, 1912.

Patented Sept-1,1914.

Inf; .xmems PETERS c0. PHOTO-141740., wAm-nrvulu a. u.

. G. A. H. BULLOCK.

STAMP APFIXING MACHINE.-

APPLICATION FILED AU '12, 1912.

1,109,105, Patented Sept. 1, 1 914.

2 SHEBTSSHEET 2.

7HE .tbnms PETERS cajPHom-urua. wA mNu rum, 1:

CHARLES ASHTON HENnY uLLooK; or Lounoiv, ENGLAND.

STAMBAFFIXING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES ASHTON TIENRY. BULLOCK, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at London, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stamp-Affixing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates toan improved machine for delivering and aflixing postage stamps and the like and has reference to machines of the kind wherein the operation of the plunger serves to feed a stamp forward, sever it and apply it to a surface and at the same time operate a counter or recording device.

The object of the present invention" is to,

provide a more simple and reliable machine than those hitherto proposed and the invention comprises various important features of novelty which will hereafter be more particularly described and set forth in the claims.

Among these primary features of the invention may be specifically mentioned the feeding device wherein when the plunger-is depressed the stamp strip is automatically gripped and fed forward the required distance, a pin or tooth or a plurality thereof adapted to always spring back to a definite point automatically operatingin conjunction with the perforations in the stamp strip to regulate and correct, the feed.

Secondly the damping device is import- ,ant,'the essential feature of whiclr'dani'ping device is that jets or sprays of molsture are' ejected from the machine preferably inter- -mittently in such a manner and in such a direction that the-moist'ure-issprayed on to the adhesive side of the stamp to be affixed as the stamp moves into position for aflixing.

Another feature consists of the particular arrangement 7 of the plunger pad which presses the damped stamp on to the surface to which it is to be applied, the arrangement being such that instead of a vertical pressure only being availahlethere is a slight horizontal movement of the pad such. as will cause a more firm adherence.

Other features of importance comprise means for rendering a complete stroke of the plunger imperative at each operation and means for insuringfythe proper application of'the' stampto the surface designed to receive it. I

, The invention moreover. comprises the Specification of Letters Patent.

construction, arrangement and combination of parts herelnafter set forth. i

Patented Sept. 1, 1914. Application filed August 12, 1912. Serial No. 714,685. v i

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the complete machine. (F g. 2 is a perspective view ofthe stamp spool carrier and stamp strip, guide and its fittings. Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the method of operating the water ejection. Fig. tisan underplan View illustrating a form the clearing device may take. Fig. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the device for rendering a complete stroke of the plunger imperative. at each operation, and Fig. 6 is an underplan' View thereof on line A A of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the-numeral 1 designates the machine plunger, which slides in an opening 2 in the casing 3 and is adapted to normally adopt its highest position under the influence of springs, such, formstanceas the springs 4. Rigidly secured in i a suitable manner to the plunger 1 a feeding arm 5 is provided. "This feeding arm 5 is spring controlled preferably by the resilience of the arm itself so that its pins or gripping members 6 always tend to remain outof engagement with the stampstrip 7.

The numeral '8 designates the guide down which the stamp strip" 7 passes from the roll 10 which is carried'upon thespindle 11 and is housed withinthe circular extension of the machine casing. Normally the pins or gripping members 6 of the feeding arm 5,

are, as aforesaid, held away from the stamp strip. When, however, the plunger 1" is depressed the pins or rollers 12 carried by. the

feeding arm 5 engage the track or way. 13

and thus thepins or the'like 6 are forced into engagement with'the stamp strip 7, grooves'l i in the stamp strip guide accomstamp strip is gripped the-.teeth or the like 16 upon the ends of the spring controlled arms 17 which teeth normally engage in the perforations of the stamp strip are lifted out of these perforations by reason.

of the pins or rollers 12 depressing the blocks 17' and'raising the teeth 16 by means of the wire 17 .1 Immediately the pins .Or rollers 12 leave the blocks ;17*-that is when the stamp strip hasbeen moved forward a short distance.-the:teeth 16' contact withthe stamp strip again in readiness to spring into the next row of perforations and the stamp strip is free to move and'asthe plunger 1 modating the free ends of the pins. As the? continues itswdescent theistrip,1s moved:

forward and a stamp is ejected through the slot 19 in the member 20. lVhen however a complete stamp has been extruded through this slot 19 the teeth 16 will enter the next set of perforations in the stamp strip and prevent further movement and the knife 21 carried by the plunger will sever the stamp. The arms 17 are pivoted in saw cuts in the block or carrier 16 which is pivoted at 16 vtothe framework of the machine. Each of the arms 17 is controlled by a spring 16. .By'this means the stamp strip can be fed forward a little too far at each operation, the block or carriermoving about its pivot to permit the slight longitudinal movement of the teeth 16 necessary, the block or carrier 16 then moving back again about its pivot under the influence of the springs 16, a stop 16 being provided to insure the block or carrier 16 and consequently the correcting teeth 16, always adopting the correct final position. j

While however the feeding forward of the stamp is takingplace the damping of the stamp is effected in the following'manner:

The plunger licarries a rack 22 preferably upon the side of the knife, and as this rack 22 descends with the plunger'it engages a pawl 23 carried upon one end 24 of the lever 25. The lever 25 is pivoted at 26 and its end 27 depends into the tank 28. The'pivot 26 is preferably of some length and well fitted so as to prevent any leakage even if the machine is inverted. The extremity of the depending end 27 of this lever 25Zis connected to a sliding plunger carrier- 29 and this plunger carrier 29 has at its free end a rubber or other yielding plunger 80, the plunger 30 normally closing the jets or nozzles 31 proceeding from the bottom of the tank. The nozzles 31 are so located and bored in sucha direction that theimoisture ejectedthrough them is sprayed onto the under adhesive surface of the stamp which is being fed forward through the slot19. The movement of'the rack 22 causes a vibration of the lever 25 and thus the plunger 30 is intermittently oscillated and water flows from time to, time to the nozzles or jets 31 as the plunger 30 withdraws and the water in.

front of this plunger 30 is then ejected through the nozzles or jets as the plunger flies out again. V

Immediately prior to the severing of the stamp the pivoted arm 32 is operated in the following manner: The or roller 33' carried by the plunger operating in the slot 34 causes the plate M -which is pivotedtto the machine casing to move and the teeth 34! at the'lower end of this'plate 84? cause a partial rotation of the pinion 35, from which the armr32 proceeds. Thus "the arm passes-beneatlrthe stam and lifts its free edge clear of any obstruction and adopts a position at right angles to its normal position. The damped stamp is then cut off by the knife 21 as it passes the slot 19 and simultaneously the stamp will be pressed on to theenvelop or other desired surface beneath 'it. The pad36 which presses the stamp on to the envelop or the like is as aforesaid of special construction and operates in a particular manner. This pad is pivoted at 37 to the lower end of the plunger 1 and by means of the spring 38 or some other suitable yielding device it normally adopts an angle to the horizontal as shown. The effect of this is that almost simultaneously with the severing of the stamp by the knife the edge of the pad contacts with the side of the stamp remote from'the severed edge; The continued descent of the plunger 1 causes the pad to gradually come into the horizontal position and thus the stamp is affixed by a horizontal movement and a vertical pressure, and it will be' readily apparent that this is the movement required to cause a firm adhesion of the damped stamp, upon this surface. ment of the pressing pad has the advantage that the air between the stamp and the surface to which it is to be applied is expelled gradually as the pad approaches the horizontal and thus there is no danger of an air bubble becoming imprisoned beneath the stamp.

The movement of the plunger operates a counting device 39 in the usual manner and it is'so arranged thatfthe counter must be operated immediately the stamp strip commences its delivering movement. In order to render a complete stroke of the machine Moreover this articular movespring 42- which engages in a groove 43 in its underside. This spring normally has it's free end'disengaged from a notch or catch 44 and thus the nose 'of the pawl is rendered capable of e'ngaging the teeth of the rack wien the plunger is depressed.

'Itiwill be seen however that the teeth of the rack are such that the'p'lunger can be depressed, the teeth of the rack passing over the nose of th e'pawl 41. If however thestroke of the plunger 1 has been only partially completed, the plunger cannot be returned tothe normal position since the nose of the pawl would immediately engage the teeth of the rack. When however thestroke has gages the incline45 at oneend of the rack i0 and the pawl is pushedback against the influence of its spring 42- and the free end of this spring flies into the notch or catch 44 been completed the nose of the pawl en- 5 and thus holds the pawl out of the engaging position and permits the spring controlling arranged that if the knob 49 is'pushed in the lower end 50 of the lever will engage the top of the machine casing and prevent the depression of the plunger until said knob is pulled out again.

It will be understood that the details of construction of the machine can be varied in many ways within the scope of my claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a stamp affixing apparatus, a casing, a plunger having one end operating in the casing, a stamp roll supporting device and a stamp moistening means associated with the stamp roll supporting device, a stamp guide for guiding the stamps from the stamp roll to the plunger, a stamp feeding mechanism within the casing, said feeding mechanism comprising pins supported by a depending flexible arm, and means in the cascoplcl of this patent may be obtained for in cents each, by addressing the Commissioncrof Patents,

ing for forcing the pins into engagement with the stamps of the stamp roll.

I 2. In a stamp afiixing apparatus, a casing, a plunger operating in the casing, a stamp roll supporting device forming a part of the casing, a stamp guide for guiding stamps to one end of the plunger, a stamp feeding apparatus comprising pins supported by a flexible arm, the said arm being movable with the plunger, a roller on one end of the arm,-meansadapted to cooperate with the roller for forcing the pins into engagement with the stamps of the stamp roll.

3. In a stamp aflixing apparatus, a casing, a plunger operating in the casing, a stamp roll supporting device disposed adjacent one a side of the casing, means for guiding the stamps from the stamp roll supporting device to the lowerend of the plunger, a stamp feeding mechanism comprising pins supported on a flexible arm, said arm adapted to move with the plunger and means on one end of the flexible arm for engaging an inclined track for forcing the pins into engagement with the stamp strip.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES ASHTON HENRY BULLOCK.

Washington, D. G. 

